Plasma-free medium for platelet storage

ABSTRACT

A blood platelet concentrate comprises blood platelets in a balanced salt solution containing an anticoagulant and that is substantially free of plasma. Generally the solution contains one or more additives to enhance platelet storage. A blood platelet concentrate may be made by centrifuging blood plasma to obtain a platelet pellet, removing the supernatant plasma and resuspending the pellet in a balanced salt solution containing anticoagulant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is concerned with a method for the storage of bloodplatelets in a plasma-free medium. Also described is a plateletconcentrate obtained by this method.

Thrombocytopenia means low platelet counts in the circulatory system.Persons with this disease have a tendency to bleed as do hemophiliacs,except that the bleeding is usually from many small capillaries ratherthan from large vessels as in hemophilia. Such persons suffer smallpunctate hemorrhages throughout all the body tissues. The skin of such aperson will exhibit many small, purplish blotches. Platelets areespecially important for repair of minute breaks in capillaries andother small vessels. Platelets aglutinate to fill such ruptures withoutactually causing clots.

Normally, excessive bleeding does not occur until the number ofplatelets in the blood falls below a value of approximately 70,000 percubic millimeter rather than the normal of 150,000 to 350,000.

At the present time, persons who have low platelet counts are supportedby infusion of platelet concentrates. Platelet concentrates contain onaverage 6×10¹⁰ platelets suspended in a volume of 50-60 ml of plasma.Larger platelet concentrates can be obtained using apheresis machinery,in which case the concentration is in the range of 4×10¹¹ and the plasmavolume may reach 200-300 ml. Platelet concentrates can be kept for 3, 5or even 7 days, depending on the type of bag and mode of rotation used.

There are generally speaking two types of blood collection and storagebags available. One type permits storage of platelets in plasma for upto 3 days while another type permits storage of platelets in plasma forup to 5 days and sometimes up to 7 days. The latter type is generallyused for research purposes. In addition it should be noted that plateletstorage bags must not contain the plasticizer di-2-ethyl-hexylphthalateand they should be highly permeable. While stored, all bags aresubjected to rotation on a continuous basis which can be rotationalabout a transverse axis or horizontal and reciprocal or horizontal andcircular.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventors have developed a method whereby platelets can bestored in a medium other than plasma while still retaining thefunctional characteristics of platelets stored in plasma. The techniqueinvolves centrifugation of the plasma to obtain a platelet pellet,removal of the supernatant plasma, and subsequent resuspension of theplatelet pellet in a balanced salt medium.

Thus, the present invention provides a method for the preparation of aplatelet concentrate which comprises centrifuging plasma to obtain aplatelet pellet, removing supernatant plasma and resuspending theplatelet pellet in a balanced salt medium.

The plasma can be derived from freshly collected while blood or may becollected using apheresis machinery, i.e. apheresis platelets. The bloodor plasma is preferably collected from humans.

The balanced salt medium or isotonic solution is designed to provide thebasic nutrients required for platelet support during storage and, aswell, to enhance the environment above that obtained under plasma(physiological) conditions. More specifically, the isotonic solution orbalanced salt medium comprises a conventional, physiologically tolerableisotonic solution to which various additional additives may be added toenhance platelet stability.

Examples of conventional balanced salt mediums or isotonic solutionswhich can be used for this purpose are Spinner salt solution (Eagle H,Science, 130:432 (1959)), Tyrode's (Tyrode, M. V., Arch. Intern.Pharmacodyn., 20:205 (1910)), Seligmann balanced salt solution (formulabelow), Earle's balanced salt solutions (Natl. Cancer. Inst. 4:167(1943)), Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (J. Exp. Med., 98:167(1954)), Hanks' balanced salt solutions (Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med.,71:196 (1949)), modification-National Institutes of Health) Gey'sbalanced salt solutions (Amer. J. of Cancer, 27:55 (1936)), Puck'ssaline (Puck, T. T., Cieciura, S. J. and Robinson, A. J. Exp. Med.,108:945 (1958)).

The formula for Seligmann balanced salt solution is as follows:

    ______________________________________                                        Component       mg/L                                                          ______________________________________                                        NaCl            7650.00                                                       KCl             200.00                                                        NaCO.sub.2.CH.sub.3                                                                           1500.00                                                       NaH.sub.2 PO.sub.4.H.sub.2 O                                                                  50.00                                                         KH.sub.2 PO.sub.4                                                                             100.00                                                        D-Glucose       1000.00                                                       NaHCO.sub.3     700.00                                                        Ascorbic Acid   3.00                                                          ______________________________________                                    

There are several advantages to using a balanced salt solution in placeof plasma and these are as follows. The plasma can be recovered and canbe used for other purposes involving protein fractionation ortransfusion to patients. Plasma is an expensive commodity and generallyin short supply. Replacement of the plasma as a supernatant for plateletstorage would result in considerable saving of plasma (estimated 14,000liters in Canada alone in 1982) throughout the world.

Another advantage is the possibility of enhancing the storageenvironment above that generally found for plasma. Platelets arecollected into an anticoagulant solution whose pH and biochemicalconstituents are chosen to enhance red cell preservation and whichtherefore may not be of optimal composition for platelet storage.

Beside the economic advantages, there are considerable theoreticalmedical advantages to removal of plasma and resuspension of platelets ina plasma free medium:

i. Removal of plasma components that are potentially harmful toplatelets such as glycolytic and proteolytic enzymes that removemembrane glycoproteins and thus cause premature clearance from thecirculation;

ii. Reduce the risk of exposure to infectious agent;

iii. Reduced risk of immediate and delayed allergic responses ofrecipients;

iv. Greater control over environmental conditions, especially pH, ionconcentration and volume;

v. Reduced variations in platelet concentrates that would enhance theconfidence of physicians in platelet concentrates perhaps leading totherapeutic regimes requiring fewer platelet concentrates per treatment;and

vi. The addition of agents to the storage medium may further improveplatelet function after storage or prolong the storage life ofplatelets.

The agents which can be added to the storage medium can include one ormore of the following. Nutrients may be added to the medium, and may beselected from fructose and other sugars, adenine or acetyl CoA. Thesenutrients are substrates for the glycolytic or proteolytic enzymes onthe platelet surface and prevent these enzymes from altering theplatelet surface.

Another approach is to inhibit the above and other enzymes withreversible inhibitors that are diluted upon infusion into thecirculatory system and hence no longer inhibitory. Examples of thesecompounds are indomethacin, quinacrine or vitamin E, all of whichinhibit platelet activation during storage and perhaps increase storagelife.

Yet another method to control platelet activation during storage is toraise cyclic adenosine monophosphate with exogenous prostaglandins E₁,D₂ or I₂ which again have a short half-life in vivo and reversibleeffects on platelets.

Finally, the artificial medium can be buffered by addition to the mediumof a number of agents all of which can safely be infused into patients.These include phosphate and the amino acids: histidine, cysteine,tyrosine, lysine or arginine. These amino acids have the ability tobuffer at an alkaline pH of 9 while phosphate precipitates at this pH.

Thus, in summary the isotonic solution may contain nutrients to improvethe storage life of the platelets, reversible inhibitors for plateletactivation, substances to raise cyclic adenosine monophosphate levelsand which have reversible effects on platelets, and buffering agentswhich can be safely infused into patients. Generally these additives areused in physiological salt concentrations.

By the present method, the storage of platelet concentrates in a plasmafree medium can be effected for at least 72 hours and results can beobtained which are similar to or better than those currently found usingstandard conditions of storage in plasma.

In another aspect, this invention provides a platelet concentrate in aplasma-free medium, which medium is a balanced salt medium which is anisotonic solution. The solution may be modified with the previouslydescribed agents. The present platelet concentrates can be stored forthe same amount of time as presently available plasma concentrates canbe stored. Further the platelet concentrates in the non-plasma mediumare about the same as for the plasma medium, that is, about 10⁹ ml or10¹² /L.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention. Allparts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise specified.

Two series of experiments were carried out to show the effects ofstoring platelets in a non-plasma medium. The first series (A) usesextraction and a washing step to remove plasma from platelets prior tofinal suspension in a Tyrode's solution. The second series (B) uses onlyextraction of plasma and final suspension in a modified Tyrode'ssolution containing either extra phosphate buffer or histidine buffer.

EXAMPLE 1 Series A

Method:

Preparation of Platelet Concentrates: Platelet concentrates wereprepared by acidification of a pool of platelet-rich plasma using 35 mlacid-citrate-dextrose anticoagulant to 230 ml of platelet-rich plasma,to yield a final pH of 6.4. This lower pH allows immediate resuspensionof platelets concentrated by the normal centrifugation procedure of 3000g for 5.5 minutes. The plasma was extracted and the plateletsresuspended in a washing solution containing 0.5 mM EDTA in calcium andmagnesium-free Tyrode's buffer, pH 6.4. After centrifugation at 3000 gfor 5.5 minutes and extraction of supernatant, the platelets wereresuspended in (Citrate-Phosphate-Dextrose anticoagulant) CPD Tyrode'ssolution or CPD-plasma at a final volume of 60 ml in P1-146 (plastic)bags (a trademark of Fenwall Company, Deerfield, Ill. 60015). Thecomposition of the CPD-Tyrode's balanced salt solution is given inTable 1. These concentrates were stored at 22° C. in a horizontal shakerfor testing after 3 days.

Platelet Aggregation: Aliquots from the platelet concentrates werediluted in pooled plasma containing CPD to a final concentration of3×10⁸ platelets/μl. After incubating for one hour at 37° the plateletsuspensions were aggregated by addition of one stimulus or simultaneousaddition of pairs of stimuli. The stimuli and concentrations used wereadenosine diphosphate (ADP) at 10⁻⁵ M, epinephrine at 5×10⁻⁵ M, collagenat 2.4 μg/ml, arachidonic acid at 10⁻⁴ M, and calcium ionophore A23187at 5×10⁻⁶ M. All these are final concentrations in the plateletsuspensions.

Results:

The results for the platelets washed and resuspended in CPD-Tyrode's(Table 2) and CPD-plasma (Table 3) and for unwashed normal plateletconcentrates (Table 4) are presented. The reported values are means andstandard errors of at least three determinations except for thoseaggregations using arachidonate. The platelets stored in CPD-Tyrode'shad slightly reduced aggregation responses when compared to the twocontrol preparations stored in CPD-plasma. All three preparations lostthe ability to aggregate to collagen, epinephrine or ADP while retainingaggregation response to pairs of stimuli or ionophore. The response toall three preparations were identical when tested before storage,indicating the washing procedure did not acutely alter the platelets(data not shown).

EXAMPLE 2 Series B

Method:

Preparation of Platelet Concentrates: Platelet concentrates wereprepared by the normal centrifugation procedure of 3000 g for 5.5minutes (no ACD was added). The plasma was extracted and the plateletsresuspended in CPD-Tyrode's-phosphate solution, CPD-Tyrode's-Histidine(see Table 1 for recipes) or CPD-plasma at a final volume of 60 ml in PL145 bags. These concentrates were stored at 22° C. in a horizontalshaker for testing after 3 days.

Platelet Aggregation: All aggregations were performed as in Series A.

Results:

The results for the platelets washed and resuspended inCPD-Tyrode's-phosphate (Table 5), and CPD-Tyrode's-Histidine (Table 6)and for unwashed normal platelet concentrates (Table 4) are presentedand show values equal to or better than for platelets stored in theusual way in plasma. The reported values are means and standard errorsof at least three determinations except for those aggregations usingarachidonate. There was no difference between the platelets stored inCPD-Tyrode's-Histidine, CPD-Tyrode's-phosphate and the preparationsstored in CPD-plasma. As in Series A, all three preparations lost theability to aggregate to collagen, epinephrine or ADP while retainingaggregation response to pairs to stimuli or ionophore. The responses ofall three preparations were identical when tested before storage,indicating the washing procedure did not significantly alter theplatelets (data not shown).

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Composition of Some Artificial Mediums Used                                          CPD-     CPD-Tyrode's-                                                                             CPD-Tyrode's-                                            Tyrode's Phosphate   Histidine                                         ______________________________________                                        NaCl     120    mM      102   mM    102   mM                                  KCl      2.4    mM      2.4   mM    2.4   mM                                  NaHCO.sub.3                                                                            22.0   mM      10.0  mM    10.0  mM                                  NaH.sub.2 PO.sub.4                                                                     0.4    mM      22.0  mM    --                                        CaCl.sub.2                                                                             1.8    mM      1.8   mM    1.8   mM                                  MgCl.sub.2                                                                             0.9    mM      0.9   mM    0.9   mM                                  Glucose  22.0   mM      22.0  mM    22.0  mM                                  Citrate  1.0    mM      1.9   mM    1.9   mM                                  Trisodium                                                                              10.8   mM      10.8  mM    10.8  mM                                  Citrate                                                                       Na.sub.2 HPO.sub.4                                                                     1.9    mM      1.9   mM    --                                        Histindine                                                                             --         --          22.0  mM                                      pH       7.4    mM      7.4   mM    7.4   mM                                  Osmolarity                                                                             298    mOsm    303   mOsm  313   mOsm                                ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                        Percent Platelet Aggregation After Storage of Washed Platelets                at 22° C. for 72 hours in CPD-Tyrode's.                                        First Stimulus                                                        Second                                   Arach-                               Stimulus  Saline  ADP    Epinephrine                                                                            Collagen                                                                             idonate                              ______________________________________                                        Saline    0                                                                   ADP       5(2)*                                                               Epinephrine                                                                             2(3)    24(8)                                                       Collagen  1(2)    26(2)  22(18)                                               Arachidonate                                                                            18(5)   --     34       --                                          Ionophore 31(8)   29(8)  27(7)    31(9)  --                                   ______________________________________                                         *mean (S.E.) of at least 3 determinations except for aggregations using       arachidonate                                                             

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                        Percent Platelet Aggregation After Storage of Washed Platelets                at 22° C. for 72 hours in CPD-Plasma.                                          First Stimulus                                                        Second                                   Arach-                               Stimulus  Saline  ADP    Epinephrine                                                                            Collagen                                                                             idonate                              ______________________________________                                        Saline    0                                                                   ADP       8(5)*                                                               Epinephrine                                                                             1(1)    40(4)                                                       Collagen  2(2)    43(3)  47(6)                                                Arachidonate                                                                            21(2)   48     46       --                                          Ionophore 40(2)   45(6)  40(4)    47(10) 46                                   ______________________________________                                         *mean (S.E.) of at least 3 determintions except for aggregations using        arachidonate                                                             

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                        Percent Platelet Aggregation After Storage of Unwashed                        Platelets at 22° C. for 72 hours in CPD-Plasma                                 First Stimulus                                                        Second                                   Arach-                               Stimulus  Saline  ADP    Epinephrine                                                                            Collagen                                                                             idonate                              ______________________________________                                        Saline    0                                                                   ADP       14(5)*                                                              Epinephrine                                                                             0(1)    40(2)                                                       Collagen  2(1)    43(2)  41(2)                                                Arachidonate                                                                            27(3)   44(2)  43(5)    --                                          Ionophore 47(5)   46(2)  39(2)    46(2)  44                                   ______________________________________                                         *mean (S.E.) of at least 7 determinations except for aggregations using       arachidonate which are means of 3 determinations.                        

                  TABLE 5                                                         ______________________________________                                        Percent Platelet Aggregation After Storage of Washed Platelets                at 22° C. for 72 hours in CPD-Tyrode's-Phosphate.                              First Stimulus                                                        Second                                   Arach-                               Stimulus  Saline  ADP    Epinephrine                                                                            Collagen                                                                             idonate                              ______________________________________                                        Saline    0                                                                   ADP       7                                                                   Epinephrine                                                                             0       38                                                          Collagen  2       47     41                                                   Arachidonate                                                                            28      40     39       38*                                         Ionophore 40      45     42       46     38*                                  ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 6                                                         ______________________________________                                        Percent Platelet Aggregation After Storage of Washed Platelets                at 22° C. for 72 Hours in CPD-Tyrode's-Histidine.                              First Stimulus                                                        Second                                   Arach-                               Stimulus  Saline  ADP    Epinephrine                                                                            Collagen                                                                             idonate                              ______________________________________                                        Saline    0                                                                   ADP       11                                                                  Epinephrine                                                                             1       35                                                          Collagen 5                                                                              43      33                                                          Arachidonate                                                                            24*     42*    38*      33*                                         Ionophore +       48     37       43     30*                                  A23187                                                                        ______________________________________                                         *mean (S.E.) of at least 3 determinations except for aggregation using        arachidonate + 2 experiments gave no aggregation with ionophore A23187        while one gave 36% aggregation. Normal platelet aggregation to ionophore      A23187 were found in CPDTyrod' sPhosphate.                               

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A method for thepreparation of .[.a.]. .Iadd.an essentially plasma-free .Iaddend.bloodplatelet concentrate for administration to animals whichcomprisescentrifuging plasma to obtain a platelet pellet, removing thesupernatant plasma, and resuspending the platelet pellet in a mediumconsisting essentially of: a balanced, physiological compatible, salinesolution; an anticoagulant; and one or more additives to enhancestability of the platelets selected from (a) nutrients to improve thestorage life of the platelets, (b) reversible inhibitors for plateletactivation, (c) substances to raise cyclic adenosine monophosphatelevels which have reversible effects on platelets, and (d) bufferingagents which are physiologically compatible.
 2. A method as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the nutrients are selected from fructose, adenine oracetyl CoA.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reversibleinhibitors for platelet activation are selected from indomethacin,quinacrine or vitamin E.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein thesubstances to raise cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels are selectedfrom prostaglandins E₁, D₂ or I₂.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 1wherein the buffering agents are selected from phosphate or amino acids.6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the amino acids are selectedfrom histidine, cysteine, tyrosine, lysine or arginine.
 7. A method asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the balanced salt medium is selected fromSpinner salt solution, Tyrode's solution, Seligmann's balanced saltsolution, Earle's balanced salt solutions, Dulbecco's phosphate bufferedsaline, Hank's balanced salt solutions, Gey's balanced salt solutions orPuck's saline.
 8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the balancedsalt medium is a Tyrode's solution.
 9. A method as claimed in claim 6wherein the Tyrode's solution contains a phosphate buffer or a histidinebuffer.
 10. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein extraction and awashing step is used to remove plasma from platelets prior to finalsuspension in the Tyrode's solution.
 11. A method as claimed in claim 7wherein extraction is used to remove plasma from platelets prior tofinal suspension in the modified Tyrode's solution.
 12. A method asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the plasma is human plasma.
 13. A method asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the plasma is derived from freshly collectedwhole blood or by apheresis.
 14. A method as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe plasma is derived from freshly collected whole human blood or byapheresis on a human donor.
 15. A method as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe plasma is human plasma.
 16. A method as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe plasma is derived from freshly collected whole blood or byapheresis.
 17. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plasma isderived from freshly collected whole human blood or by apheresis on ahuman donor.
 18. .[.A.]. .Iadd.An essentially plasma-free.Iaddend.platelet concentrate composition for administration to animalscomprising blood platelets suspended in a medium consisting essentiallyof:a balanced, physiologically compatible, saline solution; ananticoagulant; and one or more additives to enhance stability of theplatelets selected from (a) nutrients to improve the storage life of theplatelets, (b) reversible inhibitors for platelet activation, (c)substances to raise cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels which havereversible effects on platelets, and (d) buffering agents which arephysiologically compatible.
 19. A platelet concentrate as claimed inclaim 18 wherein the nutrients are selected from fructose, adenine oracetyl CoA.
 20. A platelet concentrate as claimed in claim 18 whereinthe reversible inhibitors for platelet activation are selected fromindomethacin, quinacrine or vitamin E.
 21. A platelet concentrate asclaimed in claim 18 wherein the substances to raise cyclic adenosinemonophosphate levels are selected from prostaglandins E₁, D₂ or I₂. 22.A platelet concentrate as claimed in claim 18 wherein the bufferingagents are selected from phosphate or amino acids.
 23. A plateletconcentrate as claimed in claim 22, wherein the amino acids are selectedfrom histidine, cysteine, tyrosine, lysine or arginine.
 24. A plateletconcentrate as claimed in claim 18, wherein the balanced salt medium isselected from Spinner salt solution, Tyrode's solution, Seligmann'sbalanced salt solution, Earle's balanced salt solutions, Dulbecco'sphosphate buffered saline, Hank's balanced salt solutions, Gey'sbalanced salt solutions or Puck's saline.
 25. A platelet concentrate asclaimed in claim 18 wherein the balanced salt medium is a Tyrode'ssolution.
 26. A platelet concentrate as claimed in claim 25 wherein theTyrode's solution contains a phosphate buffer or a histidine buffer. 27.A platelet concentrate as claimed in claim 18 wherein the plasma ishuman plasma.
 28. A platelet concentrate as claimed in claim 18 whereinthe human plasma is derived from freshly collected whole blood or byapheresis on a human donor. .Iadd.
 29. An essentially plasma-freestorage-stable package of blood platelets, which comprises a concentrateof blood platelets suspended in a volume of physiologically acceptablesalt solution, said suspension being sealedly enclosed within a bloodstorage member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.30. The storage-stable package asdefined by claim 29 which is devoid of a buffering agent. .Iaddend..Iadd.31. The storage-stable package as defined by claim 29 which isdevoid of an anticoagulant. .Iaddend. .Iadd.32. The storage-stablepackage as defined by claim 29, said blood storage member comprising ablood collection and storage bag. .Iaddend. .Iadd.33. The storage-stablepackage as defined by claim 32, said blood collection and storage bagbeing highly permeable. .Iaddend. .Iadd.34. The storage-stable packageas defined by claim 29, said blood storage member comprising a plasticblood collection and storage bag. .Iaddend. .Iadd.35. The storage-stablepackage as defined by claim 29, which further comprises a bufferingagent. .Iaddend. .Iadd.36. The storage-stable package as defined byclaim 29, wherein the physiologically compatible salt solution isselected from the group consisting of Spinner salt solution, Tyrode'ssolution, Seligmann balanced salt solution, Earle's balanced saltsolutions, Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline, Hank's balanced saltsolutions, Gey's balanced salt solution or Puck's saline. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 7. The storage-stable package as defined by claim 36, wherein thephysiologically compatible salt solution is Tyrode's solution. .Iaddend..Iadd.38. The storage-stable package as defined by claim 37, whereinTyrode's solution contains a phosphate buffer or a histidine buffer..Iaddend. .Iadd.39. The storage-stable package as defined by claim 29,wherein the blood platelets are human blood platelets. .Iaddend..Iadd.40. The storage-stable package as defined by claim 39, wherein theblood platelets are derived from platelet-rich plasma from whole bloodor by apheresis on a human donor. .Iaddend. .Iadd.41. The storage-stablepackage as defined by claim 29, further comprising an anticoagulant..Iaddend. .Iadd.42. The storage-stable package as defined by claim 29,further comprising saline-citrate-buffer. .Iaddend. .Iadd.43. Thestorage-stable package as defined by claim 29, further comprisingsaline-citrate-buffer-nutrient. .Iaddend. .Iadd.44. A composition ofmatter comprising an essentially plasma-free storage-stable concentrateof blood platelets suspended in a volume of physiologically acceptablesalt solution, said composition exhibiting no worse than normal plateletaggregation. .Iaddend. .Iadd.45. The composition of matter as defined byclaim 44, further comprising an additive adopted to enhance plateletfunction under conditions of storage, or to prolong the storage lifethereof. .Iaddend. .Iadd.46. The composition of matter as defined byclaim 45, which said additive is a buffering agent. .Iaddend. .Iadd.47.The composition of matter as defined by claim 44, wherein thephysiologically compatible salt solution is selected from the groupconsisting of Spinner salt solution, Tyrode's solution, Seligmannbalanced salt solution, Earle's balanced salt solutions, Dulbecco'sphosphate buffered saline, Hank's balanced salt solutions, Gey'sbalanced salt solution or Puck's saline. .Iaddend. .Iadd.48. Thecomposition of matter as defined by claim 47, wherein thephysiologically compatible salt solution is Tyrode's solution. .Iaddend..Iadd.49. The composition of matter as defined by claim 48, whereinTyrode's solution contains a phosphate buffer or a histidine buffer..Iaddend. .Iadd.50. The composition of matter as defined by claim 44,wherein the blood platelets are human blood platelets. .Iaddend..Iadd.51. The composition of matter as defined by claim 50, wherein theblood platelets are derived from platelet-rich plasma from whole bloodor by apheresis on a human donor. .Iaddend. .Iadd.52. The composition ofmatter as defined by claim 44, further comprising an anticoagulant..Iaddend. .Iadd.53. The composition of matter as defined by claim 44,further comprising saline-citrate-buffer. .Iaddend. .Iadd.54. Thecomposition of matter as defined by claim 44, further comprisingsaline-citrate-buffer-nutrient. .Iaddend. .Iadd.55. A method for thestorage of essentially plasma-free blood platelets, which comprisesconfining a concentrate of said blood platelets suspended in a volume ofphysiologically acceptable salt solution within a blood storage member,for a period of time of at least 72 hours. .Iaddend. .Iadd.56. Themethod as defined by claim 55, comprising confining the suspensionwithin said blood storage member under conditions of agitation..Iaddend. .Iadd.57. The method as defined by claim 55, wherein abuffering agent is contained in the storage member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.58.The method as defined by claim 55, wherein the physiologicallycompatible salt solution is selected from the group consisting ofSpinner salt solution, Tyrode's solution, Seligmann balanced saltsolution, Earle's balanced salt solutions, Dulbecco's phosphate bufferedsaline, Hank's balanced salt solutions, Gey's balanced salt solution orPuck's saline. .Iaddend. .Iadd.59. The method as defined by claim 58,wherein the physiologically compatible salt solution is Tyrode'ssolution. .Iaddend. .Iadd.60. The method as defined by claim 59, whereinTyrode's solution contains a phosphate buffer or a histidine buffer..Iaddend. .Iadd.61. The method as defined by claim 55, wherein theplasma is human plasma. .Iaddend. .Iadd.62. The method as defined byclaim 61, wherein the plasma is derived from human whole blood or byapheresis on a human donor. .Iaddend. .Iadd.63. The method as defined byclaim 55, wherein the storage member is highly permeable. .Iaddend..Iadd.64. The method as defined by claim 55, wherein an anticoagulant iscontained in the storage member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.65. The method asdefined by claim 55, wherein saline-citrate-buffer is present within thestorage member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.66. The method as defined by claim 55,wherein saline-citrate-buffer-nutrient is present within the storagemember. .Iaddend. .Iadd.67. A method for the treatment ofthrombocytopenia in a patient in need of such treatment, which comprisesinfusing into such patient an effective amount of an essentiallyplasma-free concentrate of blood platelets suspended in a volume ofphysiologically compatible salt solution. .Iaddend. .Iadd.68. The methodas defined by claim 67, wherein the physiologically compatible saltsolution is selected from the group consisting of Spinner salt solution,Tyrode's solution, Seligmann balanced salt solution, Earle's balancedsalt solutions, Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline, Hank's balancedsalt solutions, Gey's balanced salt solution or Puck's saline. .Iaddend..Iadd.69. The method as defined by claim 68, wherein the physiologicallycompatible salt solution is Tyrode's solution. .Iaddend. .Iadd.70. Themethod as defined by claim 69, wherein Tyrode's solution contains aphosphate buffer or histidine buffer. .Iaddend.